Wales

Consultants are employed under nationally agreed terms and conditions of service.

This means that there is a model contract of employment which your employer should be using to employ you. 

You can easily check the contract you have been offered against the model by using a document checker. There are a number of freely available tools online to help you compare documents quickly, simply upload the model contract and the personalised version your employer has provided you with and any differences will be quickly highlighted. Microsoft Word also has an inbuilt function to compare documents and you can find instructions online.

Please note, if there are differences to the model contract, these may be due to the agreed amendments made to the model contract in Wales in 2003. If so, these amendments are acceptable. As well as checking for any significant differences, you should ensure any information personal to you is correct, for example your start date and your salary.

If you are concerned that the contract you have been offered differs to the model, or you are unsure if personal information is correct or not, or if you would just like more information on any aspect of your contract, please contact us and we can review the document that you have been sent.

Northern Ireland

Consultants are employed under nationally agreed terms and conditions of service.

This means that there is a model contract of employment, which your employer should be using to employ you.

You can easily check the contract you have been offered against the model by using a document checker. There are a number of freely available tools online to help you compare documents quickly, simply upload the model contract and the personalised version your employer has provided you with and any differences will be quickly highlighted. 

Microsoft Word also has an inbuilt function to compare documents and you can find instructions online.

As well as checking for any significant differences, you should ensure any information personal to you is correct, for example your start date and your salary.

If you are concerned that the contract you have been offered differs to the model, you are unsure if personal information is correct or not, or if you would just like more information on any aspect of your contract, please contact us and we can review the document that you have been sent.

Scotland

Consultants are employed under nationally agreed terms and conditions of service.

This means that there is a model contract of employment, which your employer should be using to employ you.

You can easily check the contract you have been offered against the model by using a document checker. There are a number of freely available tools online to help you compare documents quickly, simply upload the model contract and the personalised version your employer has provided you with and any differences will be quickly highlighted.

Microsoft Word also has an inbuilt function to compare documents and you can find instructions online.

As well as checking for any significant differences, you should ensure any information personal to you is correct, for example your start date and your salary.

If you are concerned that the contract you have been offered differs to the model, you are unsure if personal information is correct or not, or if you would just like more information on any aspect of your contract, please contact us and we can review the document that you have been sent.

SAS

As a SAS doctor, you should be employed under the nationally agreed contracts for one of the roles within this grade.

Find the terms and conditions of service for each contract in each nation, which set out the provisions and contractual rights that apply to you. There are also model contracts, on which your contract of employment should be based.

You can easily check the contract you have been offered against the model by using a document checker. There are a number of freely available tools online to help you compare documents quickly, simply upload the relevant model contract and the personalised version your employer has provided you with and any differences will be quickly highlighted. Microsoft Word also has an inbuilt function to compare documents and you can find instructions online.

As well as checking for any significant differences, you should ensure any information personal to you is correct, for example your start date and your salary.

If you are concerned that the contract you have been offered differs to the model, you are unsure if personal information is correct or not, or if you would just like more information on any aspect of your contract, please contact us and we can review the document that you have been sent.

Locally Employed Doctors (LEDs)

LEDs are often employed under various titles, which can include terms such as Trust Grade, FY3, Clinical Fellow, and Trust doctor as well as others.

LEDs are not provided with nationally agreed contracts but instead given local variations of such contracts. These terms and conditions can vary significantly from those of their SAS and junior doctor colleagues. This can both undermine the working conditions of LEDs, and cause confusion regarding what they are expected to do.

This is why we would strongly recommend that LEDs:

• look at our guidance for LEDs, which gives further advice on issues like pay and workload
• use our LED checklist to ensure that you can fully consider your options and help verify that your working arrangements are fit for purpose
• obtain a contract of employment from your prospective employer at the earliest opportunity and send it to us for review before you sign it.

Salaried GPs

Salaried GPs should be offered terms and conditions of service no less favourable than the model contract if they are:

• employed by a GMS practice or PCO with their employment commencing on or after 1 April 2004, or
• employed by a PMS practice that has signed the NHS England Standard Personal Medical Services Agreement 2015/16, with their employment commencing on or after July 2015.

This includes the following:

• Salaried GP who undertakes special interest work (a GPwSI)
• Assistant
• Associate
• GP retail
• Flexible Career Scheme GP
• Returner scheme GP
• Salaried GP employed to work out-of-hours.

The model contract represents good employment practice and was designed to ensure a common standard for such GPs.

The aim is also that this standard will have a knock-on effect with those employed by APMS (Alternative Provider Medical Services) being able to negotiate improved terms where those offered do not meet the minimum set out in the model contract.

We advise all salaried GPs to look at our salaried GP model contract toolkit.

If offered a salaried GP post, we advise that you obtain a contract of employment from your prospective employer at the earliest opportunity and send it to us for review before you sign it.

Medical Academics

Read our guidance on the terms and conditions of service for medical academics.

If after looking at this guidance you would like advice on the contract you have been offered for a medical academic post, please send it to us for review before you sign it.

Public health consultants

Public health consultants may be employed in a number of organisations. Read our guidance on contracts for public health consultants.

If after looking at this guidance you would like advice on the contract you have been offered for a public health consultant post, please send it to us for review before you sign it.